When my esteemed editor Brandon Funston asked me to write an article about fantasy players who would “move up” for the 2024-25 NBA season, I thought of the old-school video game Altered Beast.

It was a simple side-scrolling beat 'em up game, but as you collected power-ups you magically transformed from a jacked Roman centurion to a werewolf, then a dragon, then a bear, then into a tiger and finally into one of the peaks, a golden werewolf. Ahh, the golden age of video games…

With this hierarchy in mind, let's take a look at the players most likely to move up this season.

A wise starting point for this exercise is to trust the people who supposedly know better than us. I'm talking about actually NBA general managers, of course, even though Chicago Bulls fans might not agree.

In NBA.com's annual GM poll, here are the top five vote-getters when GMs were asked: “Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2024-25?”

1. Jalen Williams, OKC – 13%
2. Evan Mobley, CLE – 10%
2. Yes Morant, MEM – 10%
2. Victor Wembanyama, SAS – 10%
5. Paolo Banchero, ORL – 7%
5. Cade Cunningham, DET – 7%
5. Brandon Miller, CHA – 7%

So I'll list these seven players below, as well as another dozen of my favorite candidates for leveling up. Just be prepared to pursue these players because you won't be the only person targeting them on draft day.

Rises to… werewolf

From outside the top 125 to the top 90-100

These four players showed their fantasy potential last season but were unable to maintain solid value throughout the season. Kuminga, for example, played just 19.6 mpg in his first 20 games of the season; Lively played just 19.0 minutes per game after the All-Star break; Barrett made just 42% of his shots from the field during his 26 games with the Knicks; Reid averaged just 11.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in November. That was really all it took to stop them from finishing the season as a top-125 fantasy player.

Despite these difficult moments, it is fair to say that all four players established themselves last season. Kuminga became the top scorer when Steve Kerr began to show more confidence in him; Lively handled the situation brilliantly when it mattered most in the playoffs. Barrett became wild and efficient when he was traded to the Raptors; Reid stepped up his game when Karl-Anthony Towns was injured and was rewarded by winning Sixth Man of the Year.

Go deeper

What's new on Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors' crowded frontcourt?

Ascend to…Dragon

From outside the top 90 to the top 60-70

On paper there doesn't seem to be much difference between a top 60-70 fantasy player and a top 90-100 player, but in reality there is a significant difference. The top 60-70 players can essentially stay in your starting lineup every week (assuming they are not injured), while for the top 90-100 players you need to pay attention to how their minutes and performance have trended and what their upcoming schedules look like before you decide whether you want to get started or not.

I'll lead with Quickley because he's the only player in this group who has the potential to not become a “Dragon” and move straight to the next level. To do that, he needs to bring his A game, but he has little chance of improving his level this season. The same goes for Miller, as it would be shocking if he couldn't build on his promising rookie season.

I've stated several times that the change of scenery should help Giddey's fantasy prospects, but I have concerns about the Bulls' (mis)management. And Zubac has never posted top-100 fantasy production per game in 8-cat leagues, but all signs point to him having a career year.

Rises to…Bear

From outside the top 60 to the top 40-45

Many thanks to our Joe Vardon for writing this excellent article about Ja and Zion's need and desire to become the next great American-born NBA players. They've both experienced extreme highs and lows in their young careers, but hopefully the best is yet to come. Yes and Zion need to make serious progress this season for fans and fantasy managers to continue to believe in them, and I think both players are hungrier than ever after facing so many challenges in recent years.

The trio of Banchero, Brown and Siakam have one thing in common: They all shot between 70 and 73% from the foul line last season, which proved to be quite detrimental to their overall fantasy numbers. This was particularly true for Banchero, as he wore the charity jersey seven times per game. In addition to improving their shooting efficiency, all three forwards are also quite athletic and should be able to make more attacks (steals and blocks) on defense. If they can improve in these two areas, they will certainly move up.

Go deeper

After years of ups and downs, can Zion and Ja finally realize their “potential”?

Rise to… Tiger

From outside the top 40 to the top 25-30

That wouldn't be a bad start, would it? All five are 23 years old or younger and all are ready to improve their performance this season. Cunningham is trying to live up to the high expectations as Detroit's franchise player, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him improve in every single stat category. While Sengun only shot 69% FT last season, he was over 71% in his first two years in the league and his shooting touch looks better than the average center with less than 70% FT. So he has room for improvement at the foul line, but also in the shot blocking area, where he had a poor year last season.

Johnson increased his scoring output in the preseason, which will significantly increase his fantasy value, and the Hawks will be grateful for that following the departure of Dejounte Murray. Even over in Cleveland, new head coach Kenny Atkinson appears eager to help Mobley spread his wings and fly. And Williams is happy to accept a few extra minutes and shot attempts this year so Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't have to do as much heavy lifting.

If you decide to sign guys like Fred VanVleet or Rudy Gobert instead of these five promising Tigers, don't look at me when the season is over and you're out of money.

Ascend into…Golden Werewolf

From top 5 to fantasy MVP

With a year of NBA experience under his belt, more offseason strength training, ball-handling lessons from Jamal Crawford, lob passes from Chris Paul, and added confidence knowing the entire league already fears him, there's no doubt in my mind Wemby will reach a higher level this season. But enough talk, how about some statistical predictions?

Eric's predictions for Wembanyama 2024-25:

• 75 games played
• 33.1 minutes
• 26.3 points
• 12.7 rebounds
• 5.5 assists
• 1.5 thefts
• 4.5 blocks
• 2.5 threes
• 3.9 sales
• 49.3% FG
• 35.7% 3P
• 79.7% FT

Go deeper

Expectations for second-year Victor Wembanyama? Use your imagination

(Top photo by Jonathan Kuminga, Victor Wembanyama: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)